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" If you follow health news, chances are you&amp;#039;ve heard about the myriad benefits of aspirin. The latest: A study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology found that breast cancer survivors who took aspirin regularly had a 50 percent lower risk of dying from the disease. Previous studies have found that taking aspirin (usually a daily low-dose/baby aspirin) may also: \u00E2\u00A2Reduce the risk of having a heart attack or stroke \u00E2\u00A2Reduce the risk of colon polyps and cancer \u00E2\u00A2Reduce the risk of adult-onset asthma Before you get too excited, you should know a few things. First of all, almost all of these findings have major caveats. For example, the breast cancer study only looked at people who already had early stage breast cancer, so it doesn&amp;#039;t say anything about reducing your risk of getting breast cancer in the first place\u2026 or about it helping people with more advanced breast cancer. At least one major study found that aspirin reduced stroke risk in women\u2014but not in men. On the flip side, research seems to indicate that it may help men prevent heart attacks, but not so much in women. And the reduced risk of asthma? That didn&amp;#039;t apply to anyone with a body mass index over 30.  Something else worth knowing: aspirin has side effects. The most common ones are heartburn, nausea, and upset stomach. But aspirin can also sometimes cause more serious side effects, like bleeding in the digestive tract, unusual bruising, and even severe allergic reactions (including difficulty breathing). I&amp;#039;m not against daily aspirin therapy, but I do think it&amp;#039;s worth exercising some serious caution. Right now, the best evidence in favor of using it (according to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force) is for women age 55-79 whose personal risk of stroke is higher than their risk for GI bleeding. And it&amp;#039;s recommended for men age 45-79 whose personal risk of heart attack is higher than their risk for GI bleeding. So as you can see, it&amp;#039;s complicated.  The bottom line: Just because it&amp;#039;s OTC doesn&amp;#039;t mean it&amp;#039;s a good idea. Scrutinize your medical history, talk to your doctor, and then decide. \u2014Barbara Brody, Health Editor "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/health-fitness/a44282/an-aspirin-a-day-3320/>